All You Saints of God (Re-post)

All of God's creatures praise in their own way. Many of our animal sisters and brothers are gifted with intelligence, emotions, and consciousness. We recently learned that elephants in Africa are responding violently to human mistreatment. Now we learn that dolphins call one another by name. Dolphins, along with several other species, have long been known to practice acts of self-sacrificial love for their human sisters and brothers. Cats and dogs saving human companions from fire. Dolphins rescuing sailors from sharks. It is not only we who are capable of living out the kenotic movement of love that undergirds all of Creation by the Word and the Spirit. Let us give thanks to God for the four-legged, winged, finned, crawling ones in our lives, for they too are sharers in God's grace.

From November 1, 2004:


St. Guinefort by Kent Roberts

St. Guinefort, a 13th century greyhound martyred and canonized by local assent is perhaps one of my favourite saints (see GreytArt for icon of St. Guinefort and other beautiful greyhound art). I am convinced that our animal brother and sisters have much to teach us about God, unconditional love, faithfulness, trust, family…

From the moment our dachshund puppy came home with us, he’s been family. The love we’ve showered on him has definitely encouraged his development and ours. Those crucial sixteen weeks in which domesticated dogs have for development were times of hugs, kisses, lots of affection and attention, care and concern. Now, he even joins my partner and I in prayer and meditation. He quiets down, nestles next to us (in between, of course!), and rests peacefully as we wait upon God in silence. His awareness of our emotions and our surroundings is astonishing.

This morning while watching the news at the gym, they featured a story of a Rottweiler named Faith who had dialed 911 to save her human who had blacked out while boiling some water for tea. Her human survived and Faith has become a local hero. The tales of animals rescuing humans are far more common than we imagine—and when they give themselves, they give themselves even unto death. Even wild animals occasionally offer their assistance and risk their lives for us humans—dolphins defending the shipwrecked against sharks, wolves helping the abandoned feed themselves. Sometimes I have to ask why, considering our wanton disregard for their welfare and environment. Sometimes I am completely humbled by their witness to God’s gracious love.

In his book, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis writes of a great journey through Heaven and Hell in a manner similar to Dante’s Inferno. As they enter heaven, the visitor observes a woman enfolded in the glory of the divine energies surrounded by animals. The visitor is awed—thinking this is the BVM. When he finally gets up the courage to ask the bus driver about the woman, the driver responds that no, this isn’t the BVM, but some humble woman who had rescued all of these creatures of God, and in her care, they became fully themselves. I would take Lewis a step further, in relationship with these animals, the woman also became more fully herself as well. They were her companions in prayer and life.

The Germans have a great folk tradition: At midnight on the dawn of Christmas Day, they claim that the animals talk. I’ve heard this miracle best explained in the beautifully written and illustrated book, The Give-Away: A Christmas Story. The author, Ray Buckley, retells the Christmas Story from a First Nations point-of-view. He writes that from a First Nations perspective, in the Incarnation not only are our relationships with God and one another restored, but our relationships with the animals and all of Creation are restored as well. And I believe it! Our puppy has a variety of barks and gestures through which he communicates with us; it has taken great sensitivity and observation and awareness on our part to come to understand what he wishes to communicate—I’m sure he’s found the same with us (though I suspect he feigns ignorance when he’s asked to do something he doesn’t like)…

The Psalmist also has quite a lot to say about the rich relationships that animals have with God. Psalm 148 is a great example:
Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths…wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, Praise the LORD. Buckley reminds us that our Saviour was born among the winged and four-legged who offered their hospitality when us humans would have none of it. From time to time, we humans are given graced glimpses of God’s unique relationships with the finned, the winged, the crawling and the four-legged if only we have eyes with which to see and ears with which to hear.

Holy Guinefort and all you saints of God, pray for us!